Vishay – New four-pin optocouplers in space-saving package

Vishay Intertechnology is extending its portfolio of four-pin, low input-current optocouplers with five new devices providing a phototransistor output or supporting an AC input.

Vishay supplies a broad choice of miniflat optocouplers for protecting equipment users from electrical shocks, and protecting the microprocessors inside systems from being damaged by voltage spikes.

Now a number of new such devices have been introduced. The VOS615A, VOS617A, and VOS618CA feature a phototransistor output; the VOS627A and VOS628A support an AC input. Each of these new devices is housed in an SSOP-4 package which offers a 60% saving in board footprint compared to the industry standard DIP-4 package. These products complement Vishay’s existing SOP-4 and LSOP-4 devices, providing customers with a wide selection of 2mm-high packages suitable for space-constrained applications.

The new VOS6xxA optocouplers feature a collector-emitter voltage of 80V, and are rated for operation in temperatures from -55°C to 110°C.

In the DC-input versions, one emitter is connected to the input circuit, so that the emitter emits light to provide a signal when a current flows in one direction only. This configuration is commonly used for switching or regulating uni-directional isolated signals: microcontroller ports, comparators and voltage regulators in switched-mode power supplies.

The AC-input optocouplers incorporate an input circuit with two emitters connected in reverse parallel: they provide light signals in both directions. This configuration is mainly used for half waves of an alternating input signal.